In the Skin of a Lion is a novel that describes the continuous difficulties that the main characters face throughout their lives. It focuses on relationships between immigrant groups as they make up the majority of Toronto's population. Furthermore, the idea of ​​immigration prevails throughout the novel. The setting changes from location to location, as Patrick moves from the countryside to the city and Temelcoff moves from Macedonia to Canada. Personal opinions change as Alice undergoes a transformation from nun to actress and as Caravaggio becomes a thief. The characters immigrate with a common goal: acceptance. Therefore, in In the Skin of a Lion immigration is perceived as a way to gain acceptance from society. One of the main characters, Patrick Lewis, grows up in a rural area of ​​Ontario without the presence of his mother, nor any other relatives or friends. His only source of companionship is his father, Hazen Lewis. However, the man is not talkative; as Ondaatje says "Hazen Lewis was an embarrassed man, withdrawn from the world around him, uninterested in the habits of civilization outside his focus." (Ondaatje 15) Patrick's father is seen as a man dedicated to his work to the point of not wanting to take an interest in his son's life. "He was sulky even in the company of his son. All his energy was concentrated on the fuse that traveled two minutes from the courtyard..." (Ondaatje 18) Even, during those rare moments that Patrick and his father spend together, the attention Hazen Lewis's boss remains focused on his work, which makes Patrick feel alone and unaccepted. As he gets older, however, Patrick moves to Toronto where he is surrounded by people who are close to each other. "Patrick Lewis, the "immigrant to the city",...... center of paper...... The Skin of a Lion and Barometer Rising by Hugh MacLennan. Diss. 1993. Web. http:// journals. hil.unb.ca/index.php/SCL/article/view/8175/9232Hedges, Chris, War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning Random House LLC, 2003. 10. eBook /books?id=rrudDu0qYZYC&printsec=frontcover&source =gbs_ge_summar y_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=falseIsabel V. Sawhill The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics 2008. Library of Economics and Freedom 26 November 2013. http://www .econlib.org/library/Enc/PovertyinAmerica.htmlMacedonian History Web by the Canadian Macedonian Historical Society, November 26, 2013. http://www.macedonianhistory.ca/"war." November 2013. Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/cite.html?qh=war&ia=lunaOndaatje, Michael In The Skin of a Lion Toronto: Vintage Canada, 1996. Print.